The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-01-12
WHISKY RESPONSIBLE.
Fixing the Blame for the b. & O.
Horror-The Conductor Said
10 Have Been Drunk.
Thrilling Experiences of Passengers
Mr.. Porrester's Remarkable
Escape from Death.
cleveland TO- special. ]

The wreck of the trains in the feuk n
| accident on the Baltimore and Ohio near
Republic is all cleared away and the fall
| ing snow has obliterated all the evidences
of the fateful catastrophe. The remains
OF the nine bodies of the unfortunate VIC
tins are in charge of the Coroner at Re-
public. Every piece of burnt clothing
Keys, and everything that was not utterly
destroyed has been gathered up TO aid in
the Identification of bodies. The respoH-
sibility Of the accident is now placed
upon the freight conductor, Fletcher, who
pulled out of a siding four miles west of
Republic without orders, intending TO make,
the siding at Republic for the passenger
train. He missed his calculation lust one
mile, and the ashes of the unknown victims
testify to his criminal caielessness. II is
further openly charged that the engineer of
the freight train was intoxicated. Whether
this Is true or not is not positively known.
One thing is certain, and that is that a
great share of the responsibility. if not all
OF II, rests upon the conductor and enpi-
neer of the freight. They knew thew were
encroaching on the time of the limited ex-
press before their train came to a stand
still.
Mr. Evans Graphic Story of the Accident.
Mr.. T. G. Evans of Pittsburgh, Pa. was
passenger on the Inflated Baltimore q
Ohio train. He occupied n berth in the
forward sleeper. and was asleep at the mo-
ment of the collision.
IL did not hear the crash, he said. at
was awakened by the jar. Our car trem-
bled and vibrated SO that / thought il was
careening and about to fall on its side.
raised the blinds, looked ont the window.
and saw we were standing STILL l shouted
to the other passengers that we were all
right, and told them not to be alarmed As
looked through the window | saw the
flames from the burning cars, and heard
cries for help. l hurriedly dressed myself.
but by the time l got out the heat was so
intense that We could not get within fifty
feet OF the smoking-car. NJ. S. Parks, of
Washington, had sprung through the win
dow of the smoking car, but his feet had
been caught in the wreck, and he was hang
ing downward. He died in a short time.
and IN few minutes L saw his skull dron
OF, a blackened cinder heard no screams
nor cries after L got out of the sleeper.
L he weather was very cold, and big fires
were PROBABLY burning in the stoves. The
telescoping of the cars had crushed the
stoves and scattered the Goals through
the wreck. The lamps were no doubt
shattered and the oil must have spread the
flames. 1t was scarcely two minutes.
mink, from the time L was awakened until
was dressed and at the cars. 1t was then
90 late to do anything for the people i'm
orisoned In the heap of flaming debris. The
mel OF burning human flesh was horrible.
he bodies of the dead were simply trunks.
leadless and limbless. When looked ont
II my window l saw three persons that
ooked like Joseph Postletiiwa and his
wo boys. did not see them after / got
tut OF the car. l saw the Postlethwaite
amily get on the train, and remember par
iculariy the old gentleman and his bows.
nut may have been mistaken about seeing
hem from the window of the sleeper"